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Wedding in Delhi - what can I do in a week?

Hello, my husband and I are very excited to have been invited to a wedding in Delhi this April! It's our first time in India and we'd like to explore, but are limited by time constraints. We think we will be traveling for approximately a week, including the flying days. The wedding is in Delhi on Sat PM and Sun PM.

Of course, we'd like to see the Taj Mahal. Can Agra be done as a day trip? I've heard it's best to do an overnight, so that you can experience daytime as well as sunset there.

Also, how many more days would be necessary to put Jaipur into the schedule?

Any thoughts on this itinerary? Any strong arguments for adding an extra day, and for what? Thank you in advance!

1. April in north India is hot, hot, hot. Temps in the 90s F as a starting point, over 100 F very common, over 110 F not at all unusual. See weatherbase.com and other websites. Brutal sun, no shade or cloud cover. This will slow you down (as it should), in terms of how much you will want to be out and about in sightseeing. So don’t try to fit too much into one day.

2. As you are going to a wedding, you may want to build in flexibly in case you get invited to other wedding events. I am guessing the wedding is the Saturday and the dinner is the Sunday, if not can you tell me what events are planned for the 2 evenings. You may want to leave time open in case you get asked to go to the Mehendi party (for women) or other dinners, sightseeing trips or events which may have been planned or may spontaneously occur. IMO the best way to see India and enjoy it is in the company of Indians, and you have a unique opportunity. I would not want to be tied to a rigid plan of tourist sights (or non-refundable tickets or hotel bookings) and miss a chance to experience something you might not get to see as a tourist, such as a nearby local festival that only a fellow wedding guest would be able to tell you about. IMO, those are travel experiences you would long remember after you have forgotten about the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur.

3. You have a very short time in India, and will be jet lagged, will have wedding events to attend, will be adjusting to India, and it will be very hot. Personally I would just spend time in Delhi as it offers a lot to see and do and many good restaurants, and will also give you time to relax (and even spend time by a hotel pool). I can understand the desire to go to Agra, but have to be quite frank and say that IMO a day trip is the worst possible way in which to see the Taj. And then add in 110 F heat. An overnight trip is marginally better, but still a tiring way to do this, and you will be giving up sightseeing in Delhi. You are correct that sunset (and more so sunrise) are quite beautiful there and should be part of the experience; seeing it in the harsh April sunlight may not be as good (esp for photographs). The Taj is also available for full-moon viewing and your trip may coincide with that, which is another reason to go for an overnight.

4. I would not advise including Jaipur if you only have 3 days. Too much rushing around in too short a time for 1 day in Jaipur which means you would not see much of it. If you can add a day for a total of 4 days, perhaps include Jaipur. However, I can think of many other places I would go in the area other than Agra and certainly other than Jaipur if I only had 2-4 days. But what are your interests? Why did you pick Jaipur in the first place? Do you think it would fit your interests?

My choices would be Varanasi or Rikisesh, which may even be a better choice than Varanasi, as it is in the hills and would be marginally cooler. But Varansai is more on the tourist path, so if I were going to try to pack it into the the 3 days I would do the following:

If you stayed until Thursday, you could add another day in Agra or Varanasi which would allow you to get to Sarnath outside Varanais, or to Fatephur Sikri or Sikandra in the Agra area, or just spend more time exploring either city.

Rikisesh would be an easy 1 hour flight from Delhi to Dera Dun and then a short drive of about an hour, or a train ride of about 5 hours. In addition to the temple and river areas, there is hiking, white water rafting and some game parks in this area.

If you have an interest in modern architecture, then a place like Chandigarh may be a great choice for you, an easy flight (or not a bad drive) from Delhi, and the city is small enough to see it all in 2 days. A very nice new JW Marriott hotel there as well.

So I would do some reading on things to see and do (including in Delhi) before making any decisions, and determine what might match your interests and the weather.

Just a personal thought: consider wearing a sari or Punjabi suit to the wedding. You may want to build in time to shop for this in Delhi before the wedding.

I agree with the above advice. Either add more time or just stick to Delhi and Agra. BTW as Cicerone said it will be very warm and you will be jet lagged so consider that as well. There is plenty to see in Delhi and Agra to keep you occupied. Having been to India 6 times (my wife is Indian) I would limit significant touring to a different time of yr. preferably in the fall or winter. Enjoy the wedding. To get into the mood of it try renting the movie "Monsoon wedding."

I also agree that with limited time you should restrict your time to Delhi and Agra. We were 7419442774 surprised by how much we enjoyed the sites in Delhi and did not get to see all we wanted in our 2 1/2 days there.

I googled that number and found it was called a"Harshad" number, some sort of phone number. Yep it seems its a mobile number. I'd call but really don't what to say except why did you post this in the first place???

Thanks, everyone for your input! Unfortunately, we're getting pressure to shorten the trip even more, so it seems adding Jaipur would be out of the question now. At a minimum, it would be Delhi and Agra. I think the big question now is just figuring out how many days we can work out so that we can book flights. I may return to this thread once some of this dust settles. Very stressful - I am trying to push for more time!

Good luck, Awlrain. If you are intrigued by your brief time, you can come back for more on a future trip. Even 5 days in one or two cities makes for a fascinating trip.
The wedding is going to be amazing.
if you need to chill out in New Delhi, take a stroll through Lodhi Gardens when it's not too hot. if you want to combine boutiquey stores, interesting places to eat (even a bagel shop ) ancient ruins and a lovely lake view, go to Haus Khaz Village. If you want to see ancient narrow winding streets , go to Old Delhi.
Point is: you can see a LOT in just a few days--so don't think it won't be worth it, even for a quickie trip.

You guys are too funny! How sad though that none of my fodorite friends tried to call me. I haven't the faintest clue how those numbers appeared in my post or whose number it is. Glad to be the source of amusement though.